E
Z E K I E L
CHAP. XXVIII.
In
this chapter we have, I. A prediction of the fall and ruin of the king of Tyre, who, in the
destruction of that city, is
particularly set up as a mark for God's arrows, ver. 1-10. II. A lamentation
for the king of Tyre, when he has thus fallen, though he falls by
his own iniquity, ver. 11-19. III. A prophecy of the destruction of Zidon,
which as in the neighbourhood of Tyre
and had a dependence upon it, ver. 20-23. IV.
A promise of the restoration of the Israel of God, though in the day of their
calamity they were insulted over by their neighbours, ver. 24-26.
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Fall
of the Prince of Tyre.
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B.
C. 588.
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1 The word of the LORD
came again unto me, saying, 2 Son of man, say unto the prince of
Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord GOD;
Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a
God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art
a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God:
3 Behold, thou art wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that they can
hide from thee: 4 With thy wisdom and with thine understanding
thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy
treasures: 5 By thy great wisdom and by thy traffick hast
thou increased thy riches, and thine heart is lifted up because of thy
riches: 6 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD;
Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God; 7 Behold,
therefore I will bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of the nations: and
they shall draw their swords against the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall
defile thy brightness. 8 They shall bring thee down to the pit,
and thou shalt die the deaths of them that are slain in the midst of
the seas. 9 Wilt thou yet say before him that slayeth thee, I am
God? but thou shalt be a man, and no God, in the hand of him that
slayeth thee. 10 Thou shalt die the deaths of the uncircumcised by
the hand of strangers: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
We had done with Tyrus in the foregoing chapter, but now the prince of Tyrus
is to be singled out from the rest. Here is something to be said to him by
himself, a message to him from God, which the prophet must send him,
whether he will hear or whether he will forbear.
I. He must tell him of his pride. His people are proud (ch. xxvii. 3)
and so is he; and they shall both be made to know that God resists the
proud. Let us see, 1. What were the expressions of his pride: His heart
was lifted up, v. 2. He had a great conceit of himself, was puffed
up with an opinion of his own sufficiency, and looked with disdain upon all
about him. Out of the abundance of the pride of his heart he said, I am a
god; he did not only say it in his heart, but had the impudence to speak
it out. God has said of princes, They are gods (Ps. lxxxii. 6); but it
does not become them to say so of themselves; it is a high affront to him who
is God alone, and will not give his glory to another. He thought that
the city of Tyre had as necessary a dependence upon him as the world has upon
the God that made it, and that he was himself independent as God and
unaccountable to any. He thought himself to have as much wisdom and strength
as God himself, and as incontestable an authority, and that his prerogatives
were as absolute and his word as much a law as the word of God. He challenged
divine honours, and expected to be praised and admired as a god, and doubted
not to be deified, among other heroes, after his death as a great benefactor
to the world. Thus the king of Babylon said, I will be like the Most High
(Isa. xiv. 14), not like the Most Holy. "I am the strong God, and
therefore will not be contradicted, because I cannot be controlled. I sit
in the seat of God; I sit as high as God, my throne equal with his.
Divisum imperium cum Jove Cæsar habet--Cæsar divides dominion with Jove.
I sit as safely as God, as safely in the heart of the seas, and as far
out of the reach of danger, as he in the height of heaven." He
thinks his guards of men of war about his throne as pompous and potent as the
hosts of angels that are about the throne of God. He is put in mind of his
meanness and mortality, and, since he needs to be told, he shall be told, that
self-evident truth, Thou art a man, and not God, a depending creature;
thou art flesh, and not spirit, Isa. xxxi. 3. Note, Men must be made to
know that they are but men, Ps. ix. 20. The greatest wits, the greatest
potentates, the greatest saints, are men, and not gods. Jesus Christ
was both God and man. The king of Tyre, though he has such a mighty influence
upon all about him, and with the help of his riches bears a mighty sway,
though he has tribute and presents brought to his court with as much devotion
as if they were sacrifices to his altar, though he is flattered by his
courtiers and made a god of by his poets, yet, after all, he is but a man;
he knows it; he fears it. But he sets his heart as the heart of God;
"Thou hast conceited thyself to be a god, hast compared thyself with God,
thinking thyself as wise and strong, and as fit to govern the world, as
he." It was the ruin of our first parents, and ours in them, that they
would be as gods, Gen. iii. 5. And still that corrupt nature which
inclines men to set up themselves as their own masters, to do what they will,
and their own carvers, to have what they will, their own end, to live to
themselves, and their own felicity, to enjoy themselves, sets their hearts
as the heart of God, invades his prerogatives, and catches at the flowers
of his crown--a presumption that cannot go unpunished.
2. We are here told what it was that he was proud of. (1.) His wisdom. It is
probable that this prince of Tyre was a man of very good natural parts, a
philosopher, and well read in all the parts of learning that were then in
vogue, at least a politician, and one that had great dexterity in managing the
affairs of state. And then he thought himself wiser than Daniel, v.
3. We found, before, that Daniel, though now but a young man, was celebrated
for his prevalency in prayer, ch. xiv. 14. Here we find he was famous
for his prudence in the management of the affairs of this world, a great
scholar and statesman, and withal a great saint, and yet not a prince, but a
poor captive. It was strange that under such external disadvantages his lustre
should shine forth, so that he had become wise to a proverb. When the
king of Tyre dreams himself to be a god he says, I am wiser than Daniel.
There is no secret that they can hide from thee. Probably he challenged
all about him to prove him with questions, as Solomon was proved, and
he had unriddled all their enigmas, had solved all their problems, and none of
them all could puzzle him. He had perhaps been successful in discovering
plots, and diving into the counsels of the neighbouring princes, and therefore
thought himself omniscient, and that no thought could be withholden from him;
therefore he said, I am a god. Note, Knowledge puffeth up; it is
hard to know much and not to know it too well and to be elevated with it. He
that was wiser than Daniel was prouder than Lucifer. Those therefore
that are knowing must study to be humble and to evidence that they are so.
(2.) His wealth. That way his wisdom led him; it is not said that by his
wisdom he searched into the arcana either of nature or government, modelled
the state better than it was, or made better laws, or advanced the interests
of the commonwealth of learning; but his wisdom and understanding were
of use to him in traffic. As some of the kings of Judah loved
husbandry (2 Chron. xxvi. 10), so the king of Tyre loved merchandise, and
by it he got riches, increased his riches, and filled his treasures with
gold and silver, v. 4, 5. See what the wisdom of this world is;
those are cried up as the wisest men that know how to get money and by right
or wrong to raise estates; and yet really this their way is their folly,
Ps. xlix. 13. It was the folly of the king of Tyre, [1.] That he attributed
the increase of his wealth to himself and not to the providence of God,
forgetting him who gave him power to get wealth, Deut. viii. 17, 18.
[2.] That he thought himself a wise man because he was a rich man; whereas a
fool may have an estate (Eccl. ii. 19), yea, and a fool may get an estate, for
the world has been often observed to favour such, when bread is not to the
wise, Eccl. ix. 11. [3.] That his heart was lifted up because of his
riches, because of the increase of his wealth, which made him so haughty
and secure, so insolent and imperious, and which set his heart as the heart
of God. The man of sin, when he had a great deal of worldly pomp
and power, showed himself as a god, 2 Thess. ii. 4. Those who are rich
in this world have therefore need to charge that upon themselves which the
word of God charges upon them, that they be not high-minded, 1 Tim. vi.
17.
II. Since pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a
fall, he must bell him of that destruction, of that fall, which was now
hastening on as the just punishment of his presumption in setting up himself a
rival with God. "Because thou hast pretended to be a god (v. 6),
therefore thou shalt not be long a man," v. 7. Observe here,
1. The instruments of his destruction: I will bring strangers upon thee--the
Chaldeans, whom we do not find mentioned among the many nations and countries
that traded with Tyre, ch. xxvii. If any of those nations had been
brought against it, they would have had some compassion upon it, for old
acquaintance-sake; but these strangers will have none. They are people of a strange
language, which the king of Tyre himself, wise as he is, perhaps
understands not. They are the terrible of the nations; it was an army
made up of many nations, and it was at this time the most formidable both for
strength and fury. These God has at command, and these he will bring upon the
king of Tyre.
2. The extremity of the destruction: They shall draw their swords against
the beauty of thy wisdom (v. 7), against all those things which
thou gloriest in as thy beauty and the production of thy wisdom. Note, It is
just with God that our enemies should make that their prey which we have made
our pride. The king of Tyre's palace, his treasury, his city, his navy, his
army, these he glories in as his brightness, these, he thinks, made him
illustrious and glorious as a god on earth. But all these the victorious enemy
shall defile, shall deface, shall deform. He thought them sacred, things that
none durst touch; but the conquerors shall seize them as common things, and
spoil the brightness of them. But, whatever becomes of what he has, surely his
person is sacred. No (v. 8): They shall bring thee down to the pit,
to the grave; thou shalt die the death. And, (1.) It shall not be an
honourable death, but an ignominious one. He shall be so vilified in his death
that he may despair of being deified after his death. He shall die the
deaths of those that are slain in the midst of the seas, that have no
honour done them at their death, but their dead bodies are immediately thrown
overboard, without any ceremony or mark of distinction, to be a feast for the
fish. Tyre is likely to be destroyed in the midst of the sea (ch.
xxvii. 32) and the prince of Tyre shall fare no better than the people. (2.)
It shall not be a happy death, but a miserable one. He shall die the deaths
of the uncircumcised (v. 10), of those that are strangers to God
and not in covenant with him, and therefore die under his wrath and curse. It
is deaths, a double death, temporal and eternal, the death both of body
and soul. He shall die the second death; that is dying miserably
indeed. The sentence of death here passed upon the king of Tyre is ratified by
a divine authority: I have spoken it, saith the Lord God. And what he
has said he will do. None can gainsay it, nor will he unsay it.
3. The effectual disproof that this will be of all his pretensions to deity (v.
9): "When the conqueror sets his sword to thy breast, and thou seest no
way of escape, wilt thou then say, I am God? Wilt thou then have such a
conceit of thyself as thou now hast? No; thy being overpowered by death, and
by the fear of it, will force thee to own that thou art not a god, but a weak,
timorous, trembling, dying man. In the hand of him that slays thee (in
the hand of God, and of the instruments that he employed) thou shalt be a
man, and not God, utterly unable to resist, and help thyself." I
have said, You are gods; but you shall die like men, Ps. lxxxii. 6, 7.
Note, Those who pretend to be rivals with God shall be forced one way or other
to let fall their claims. Death at furthest, when we come into his hand, will
make us know that we are men.
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Fall
of the Prince of Tyre.
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B.
C. 588.
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11 Moreover the word of the LORD
came unto me, saying, 12 Son of man, take up a lamentation upon
the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD;
Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. 13
Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy
covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the
jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the
workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day
that thou wast created. 14 Thou art the anointed cherub
that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain
of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created,
till iniquity was found in thee. 16 By the multitude of thy
merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast
sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and
I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of
fire. 17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou
hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the
ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.
18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by
the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the
midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the
earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. 19 All they that
know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a
terror, and never shalt thou be any more.
As after the prediction of the ruin of Tyre (ch. xxvi.) followed a
pathetic lamentation for it (ch. xxvii.), so after the ruin of the king
of Tyre is foretold it is bewailed.
I. This is commonly understood of the prince who then reigned over Tyre,
spoken to, v. 2. His name was Ethbaal, or Ithobalus, as
Diodorus Siculus calls him that was king of Tyre when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed
it. He was, it seems, upon all external accounts an accomplished man, very
great and famous; but his iniquity was his ruin. Many expositors have
suggested that besides the literal sense of this lamentation there is an
allegory in it, and that it is an allusion to the fall of the angels that
sinned, who undid themselves by their pride. And (as is usual in texts that
have a mystical meaning) some passages here refer primarily to the king of
Tyre, as that of his merchandises, others to the angels, as that of being in
the holy mountain of God. But, if there be any thing mystical in it (as
perhaps there may), I shall rather refer it to the fall of Adam, which seems
to be glanced at, v. 13. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God,
and that in the day thou wast created.
II. Some think that by the king of Tyre is meant the whole royal
family, this including also the foregoing kings, and looking as far back as
Hiram, king of Tyre. The then governor is called prince (v. 2);
but he that is here lamented is called king. The court of Tyre with its
kings had for many ages been famous; but sin ruins it. Now we may observe two
things here:--
1. What was the renown of the king of Tyre. He is here spoken of as having
lived in great splendour, v. 12-15. He as a man, but it is here owned
that he was a very considerable man and one that made a mighty figure in his
day. (1.) He far exceeded other men. Hiram and other kings of Tyre had done so
in their time; and the reigning king perhaps had not come short of any of
them: Thou sealest up the sum full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. But
the powers of human nature and the prosperity of human life seemed in him to
be at the highest pitch. He was looked upon to be as wise as the reason of men
could make him, and as happy as the wealth of this world and the enjoyment of
it could make him; in him you might see the utmost that both could do; and
therefore seal up the sum, for nothing can be added; he is a complete
man, perfect in suo genere--in his kind. (2.) He seemed to be as wise
and happy as Adam in innocency (v. 13): "Thou hast been in
Eden, even in the garden of God; thou hast lived as it were in
paradise all thy days, hast had a full enjoyment of every thing that is good
for food or pleasant to the eyes, and an uncontroverted dominion
over all about thee, as Adam had." One instance of the magnificence of
the king of Tyre is, that he outdid all others princes in jewels, which those
have the greatest plenty of that trade most abroad, as he did: Every
precious stone was his covering. There is a great variety of
precious stones; but he had of every sort and in such plenty that besides what
were treasured up in his cabinet, and were the ornaments of his crown, he had
his clothes trimmed with them; they were his covering. Nay (v.
14), he walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire, that is,
these precious stones, which glittered and sparkled like fire. His rooms were
in a manner set round with jewels, so that he walked in the midst of them, and
then fancied himself as glorious as if, like God, he had been surrounded by so
many angels, who are compared to a flame of fire. And, if he be such an
admirer of precious stones as to think them as bright as angels, no wonder
that he is such an admirer of himself as to think himself as great as God.
Nine several sorts of previous stones are here named, which were all in the
high priest's ephod. Perhaps they are particularly named because he, in his
pride, used to speak particularly of them, and tell those about him, with a
great deal of foolish pleasure, "This is such a precious stone, of such a
value, and so and so are its virtues." Thus is he upbraided with his
vanity. Gold is mentioned last, as far inferior in value to those
precious stones; and he used to speak of it accordingly. Another thing that
made him think his palace a paradise was the curious music he had, the tabrets
and pipes, hand-instruments and wind-instruments. The workmanship
of these was extraordinary, and they were prepared for him on purpose;
prepared in thee, the pronoun is feminine--in thee, O Tyre! or
it denotes that the king was effeminate in doting on such things. They were
prepared in the day he was created, that is, either born, or created
king; they were made on purpose to celebrate the joys either of his birth-day
or of his coronation-day. These he prided himself much in, and would have all
that came to see his palace take notice of them. (3.) He looked like an
incarnate angel (v. 14): Thou art the anointed cherub that covers
or protects; that is, he looked upon himself as a guardian angel to his
people, so bright, so strong, so faithful, appointed to this office and
qualified for it. Anointed kings should be to their subjects as anointed
cherubim, that cover them with the wings of their power; and, when they are
such, God will own them. Their advancement was from him: I have set thee
so. Some think, because mention was made of Eden, that it refers to the
cherub set on the east of Eden to cover it, Gen. iii. 24. He thought himself
as able to guard his city from all invaders as that angel was for his charge.
Or it may refer to the cherubim in the most holy place, whose wings covered
the ark; he thought himself as bright as one of them. (4.) He appeared in as
much splendour as the high priest when he was clothed with his garments for
glory and beauty: "Thou wast upon the holy mountain of God, as
president of the temple built on that holy mountain; thou didst look as great,
and with as much majesty and authority, as ever the high priest did when he
walked in the temple, which was garnished with precious stones (2 Chron.
iii. 6), and had his habit on, which had precious stones both in the breast
and on the shoulders; in that he seemed to walk in the midst of the stones
of fire." Thus glorious is the king of Tyre; at least he thinks
himself so.
2. Let us now see what was the ruin of the king of Tyre, what it was that
stained his glory and laid all this honour in the dust (v. 15): "Thou
wast perfect in thy ways; thou didst prosper in all thy affairs and every
thing went well with thee; thou hadst not only a clear, but a bright
reputation, from the day thou wast created, the day of thy accession to
the throne, till iniquity was found in thee; and that spoiled
all." This may perhaps allude to the deplorable case of the angels that
fell, and of our first parents, both of whom were perfect in their ways
till iniquity was found in them. And when iniquity was once found in
him it increased; he grew worse and worse, as appears (v. 18):
"Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries; thou hast lost the benefit of
all that which thou thoughtest sacred, and in which, as in a sanctuary, thou
thoughtest to take refuge; these thou hast defiled, and so exposed
thyself by the multitude of thy iniquities." Now observe,
(1.) What the iniquity was that was the ruin of the king of Tyre. [1.] The iniquity
of his traffic (so it is called, v. 18), both his and his people's,
for their sin is charged upon him, because he connived at it and set them a
bad example (v. 16): By the multitude of thy merchandise they have
filled the midst of thee with violence, and thus thou hast sinned.
The king had so much to do with his merchandise, and was so wholly intent upon
the gains of that, that he took no care to do justice, to give redress to
those that suffered wrong and to protect them from violence; nay, in the
multiplicity of business, wrong was done to many by oversight; and in his
dealings he made use of his power to invade the rights of those he dealt with.
Note, Those that have much to do in the world are in great danger of doing
much amiss; and it is hard to deal with many without violence to some. Trades
are called mysteries; but too many make them mysteries of iniquity. [2.] His
pride and vain-glory (v. 17): "Thy heart was lifted up because
of thy beauty; thou wast in love with thyself, and thy own shadow. And
thus thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of the brightness, the
pomp and splendour, wherein thou livedst." He gazed so much upon this
that it dazzled his eyes and prevented him from seeing his way. He appeared so
puffed up with his greatness that it bereaved him both of his wisdom and of
the reputation of it. He really became a fool in glorying. Those make a
bad bargain for themselves that part with their wisdom for the gratifying of
their gaiety, and, to please a vain humour, lose a real excellency.
(2.) What the ruin was that this iniquity brought him to. [1.] He was thrown
out of his dignity and dislodged from his palace, which he took to be his
paradise and temple (v. 16): I will cast thee as profane out of the
mountain of God. His kingly power was high as a mountain, setting
him above others; it was a mountain of God, for the powers that be are
ordained of God, and have something in them that is sacred; but, having abused
his power, he is reckoned profane, and is therefore deposed and expelled. He
disgraces the crown he wears, and so has forfeited it, and shall be destroyed from
the midst of the stones of fire, the precious stones with which his palace
was garnished, as the temple was; and they shall be no protection to him. [2.]
He was exposed to contempt and disgrace, and trampled upon by his neighbours:
"I will cast thee to the ground (v. 17), will cast thee
among the pavement-stones, from the midst of the precious stones,
and will lay thee a rueful spectacle before kings, that they may
behold thee and take warning by thee not to be proud and oppressive."
[3.] He was quite consumed, his city and he in it: I will bring forth a
fire from the midst of thee. The conquerors, when they have plundered the
city, will kindle a fire in the heart of it, which shall lay it, and the
palace particularly, in ashes. Or it may be taken more generally for the fire
of God's judgments, which shall devour both prince and people, and bring all
the glory of both to ashes upon the earth; and this fire shall be brought
forth from the midst of thee. All God's judgments upon sinners take rise
from themselves; they are devoured by a fire of their own kindling. [4.] He
was hereby made a terrible example of divine vengeance. Thus he is reduced in
the sight of all those that behold him (v. 18): Those that know
him shall be astonished at him, and shall wonder how one that stood so
high could be brought so low. The king of Tyre's palace, like the temple at
Jerusalem, when it is destroyed shall be an astonishment and a hissing,
2 Chron. vii. 20, 21. So fell the king of Tyre.
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The
Fall of Zidon.
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B.
C. 588.
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20 Again the word of the LORD
came unto me, saying, 21 Son of man, set thy face against Zidon,
and prophesy against it, 22 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD;
Behold, I am against thee, O Zidon; and I will be glorified in the
midst of thee: and they shall know that I am the LORD,
when I shall have executed judgments in her, and shall be sanctified in
her. 23 For I will send into her pestilence, and blood into her
streets; and the wounded shall be judged in the midst of her by the sword upon
her on every side; and they shall know that I am the LORD.
24 And there shall be no more a pricking brier unto the house of Israel, nor any
grieving thorn of all that are round about them, that despised them;
and they shall know that I am the Lord GOD. 25 Thus saith
the Lord GOD;
When I shall have gathered the house of Israel from the people among whom they
are scattered, and shall be sanctified in them in the sight of the heathen,
then shall they dwell in their land that I have given to my servant
Jacob. 26 And they shall dwell safely therein, and shall build
houses, and plant vineyards; yea, they shall dwell with confidence, when I
have executed judgments upon all those that despise them round about them; and
they shall know that I am the LORD their God.
God's glory is his great end, both in all the good and in all the evil which proceed
out of the mouth of the Most High; so we find in these verses. 1. God will
be glorified in the destruction of Zidon, a city that lay near to Tyre, was
more ancient, but not so considerable, had a dependence upon it and stood and
fell with it. God says here, I am against thee, O Zidon! and I will be
glorified in the midst of thee, v. 22. And again, "Those that
would not know be gentler methods shall be made to know that I am the Lord,
and I alone, and that I am a just and jealous God, when I shall have
executed judgments in her, destroying judgments, when I shall have done
execution according to justice and according to the sentence passed, and so
shall be sanctified in her." The Zidonians, it should seem, were
more addicted to idolatry than the Tyrians were, who, being men of business
and large conversation, were less under the power of bigotry and superstition.
The Zidonians were noted for the worship of Ashtaroth; Solomon introduced it,
1 Kings xi. 5. Jezebel was daughter to the king of Zidon, who brought the
worship of Baal into Israel (1 Kings xvi. 31); so that God had been much
dishonoured by the Zidonians. Now, says he, I will be glorified, I will be
sanctified. The Zidonians were borderers upon the land of Israel, where
God was known, and where they might have got the knowledge of him and have
learned to glorify him; but, instead of that, they seduced Israel to the
worship of their idols. Note, When God is sanctified he is glorified, for his
holiness is his glory; and those whom he is not sanctified and glorified by he
will be sanctified and glorified upon, by executing judgments upon them, which
declare him a just avenger of his own and his people's injured honour. The
judgments that shall be executed upon Zidon are war and pestilence, two
wasting depopulating judgments, v. 23. They are God's messengers, which
he sends on his errands, and they shall accomplish that for which he sends
them. Pestilence and blood shall be sent into her streets;
there the dead bodies of those shall lie who perished, some by the plague,
occasioned perhaps through ill diet when the city was besieged, and some by
the sword of the enemy, most likely the Chaldean armies, when the city was
taken, and all were put to the sword. Thus the wounded shall be judged; when
they are dying of their wounds they shall judge themselves, and others shall
say, They justly fall. Or, as some read it, They shall be punished by the
sword, that sword which has commission to destroy on every side. It
is God that judges, and he will overcome. Nor is it Tyre and Zidon only on
which God would execute judgments, but on all those that despised his people
Israel, and triumphed in their calamities; for this was now God's controversy
with the nations that were round about them, v. 26. Note, When
God's people are under his correcting hand for their faults he takes care, as
he did concerning malefactors that were scourged, that they shall not seem
vile to those that are about them, and therefore takes it ill of those who
despise them and so help forward the affliction when he is but a
little displeased, Zech. i. 15. God regards them even in their low estate;
and therefore let not men despise them. 2. God will be glorified in the
restoration of his people to their former safety and prosperity. God had been
dishonoured by the sins of his people, and their sufferings too had given
occasion to the enemy to blaspheme (Isa. lii. 5); but God will now both cure
them of their sins and ease them of their troubles, and so will be
sanctified in them in the sight of the heathen, will recover the honour of
his holiness, to the satisfaction of all the world, v. 25. For, (1.)
They shall return to the possession of their own land again: I will gather
the house of Israel out of their dispersions, in answer to that prayer
(Ps. cvi. 27), Save us, O Lord our God! and gather us from among the
heathen; and in pursuance of that promise (Deut. xxx. 4), Thence will the
Lord thy God gather thee. Being gathered, they shall be brought in a body,
to dwell in the land that I have given to my servant Jacob. God had an
eye to the ancient grant, in bringing them back, for that remained in force,
and the discontinuance of the possession was not a defeasance of the right. He
that gave it will again give it. (2.) They shall enjoy great tranquillity
there. When those that have been vexatious to them are taken off they shall
live in quietness; there shall be no more a pricking brier nor a grieving
thorn, v. 24. They shall have a happy settlement, for they shall build
houses, and plant vineyards; and they shall enjoy a happy security
and serenity there; they shall dwell safely, shall dwell with
confidence, and there shall be none to disquiet them or make them afraid, v.
26. This never had full accomplishment in the body of that people, for after
their return out of captivity they were ever and anon molested by some bad
neighbour or other. Nor has the gospel-church been ever quite free from
pricking briers and grieving thorns; yet sometimes the church has rest,
and believers always dwell safely under the divine protection and may be quiet
from the fear of evil. But the full accomplishment of this promise is
reserved for the heavenly Canaan, when all the saints shall be gathered
together, and every thing that offends shall be removed, and all griefs and
fears for ever banished.
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